Henry VIII | Church Reform Flashcards
(11 cards)
What were the signs of spreading Humanism, as early as the start of Henrys reign ?
What does this signify ?
-Became more common amongst English elites
-Henry was a fan himself and encouraged More and Erasmus to spread humanism themsleves
-Henry VII and Elizabeth of York’s tomb reflects humanistic design
-Fashionable artistic trends from Italy were promoted
This perhaps signifies a move away from the structure and formality of the church from a societal point of view, prior to the reformation itself, which hints at previous protestations against the church.
How did Humanism rise to prominence, particularly in education ?
How does this allow a vast spread of humanism throughout society ?
-At St Pauls School (London)…
-School’s governors were city folk rather than clergymen
-Curriculum and teaching methods derived from humanistic principles (including Erasmus)
-Head teacher was William Lily (a humanist)
-Colleges at Oxford and Cambridge also promoted humanism through education *
Engraining humanism into education means a wide range of youths will adopt this viewpoint allowing its spread into all regions of upper class society.
What were the Catholic churches weaknesses pre-reformation ?
What does this mean ?
-Corruption
-Declining monasticism
-Anticlericalism
Corruption was rife in the catholic chirch through “pluralism” (taking profits from more than one post), “Simony” (buying church posts) and “Non-residence” (taking money for the job but not being there to do the job), which ultimately weakened the Churches credibility. Also, monasteries were sometimes seen as bussinesses taking profits, however the dissolution of the monasteries hugely weakened the church, often in order to fund education. Lastly, Anticlericalism (Opposition to importance of clergy) caused objection to church law which was worsened by Simon Fish’s ‘Supplication of the Beggars’ which attacks clergy, and exposes the murder of Richard Hunne by the Church.
The murder of Richard Hunne was exposed through which Pamphlet addressed to Henry ?
What was the significnce of this ?
The Supplication of the Beggars (1529), by Simon Fish
Fish had openly exposed an undeniable murder by the catholic church, while Hunne was unjustly imprisoned, and this was worsened by the fact the killing was framed to look like a suicide. This painted the church in a significatnly negative light and began to cause ditrust among not only the population, but Henry himself toward the church.
Follwoing the break from Rome, what were the ways Henry chose to reform the church in England ? (5)
-Structure
-Bible
-Religeous practices
-Dissolution of the Monasteries
-Religeous doctrine (teachings)
How was the structure of the church changed under Henrys religeous reforms ? (3)
Why is this significant ?
-Henry was made supreme head of the Church of England
-Cromwell was made Viceregent of the Sprirituals
-Six new dioceces were created
Henry is now the head of the church under the 1534 Act of Supremacy meaning the Pope now has no religeous authority in England, and the church is fully in Henrys control. Also Cromwell becoming Viceregent of the Spirituals meant he held sigificant power over all Archbishops and Bishops, perhaps allowing Henry to step back nd focus on his aims as king, taking a more passive role in religeous policy. And, the six new dioceces aimed to secure more stable church administration and secure more power for Henry.
How was the Bible changed under Henrys religeous reforms ?
Which further change to the Bible was made in 1543 ?
Great Bible published in 1539, with Henry VIII on front cover and written in English rather than Latin
Henry VIII became fearful of allowing the wrong sorts of people to read the wrong parts of the Bible, so in 1543 passed the Act for the Advancement of True Religion, restricting upper-class males from reading it, out of fear of social disorder.
How was religeous practices changed under Henrys religeous reforms ? (3)
What was the impact of this ?
Attacked religious practices and traditions as the (1536) Royal Injunctions placed a restriction on the number of holy days to be observed and discouraged pilgrimages.
The change to religeous practices was unpopular on the whole, especially amongst traditional worshipers in England, As a result members of the clergy were made to recant, which perhaps shows Henrys fear of backlash following Cromwells reforms which were viewed as particularly radical.
How were monasteries dissolved ? (4)
What was the impacts of this ?
-Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535) Cromwell’s survey to assess Church wealth
-Four “visitors” were sent to inspect monastic institutions, and find evidence of corruption
-Act passed in 1536 to dissolve smaller monasteries with an income of less than £200 per year
-Pilgrimage of Grace provided an excuse to cause widespread dissolution by 1539
This was significant to the commoners in Tudor society, as many of the poor relied on monasteries for charity, healthcare and religeous practice. The dissolution of the monasteries, meant less support for the poor financially and living standards decreased in rural towns across England as a result.
How was religeous doctrine changed under Henrys religeous reforms ?
What does this signify chronologically ?
-Ten Articles in 1536 reduced the 7 sacraments to 3 just “baptism”, “penance” and “eucharist”.
-Bishops Book in 1537 restored the 7 sacraments, but the removed ones given lower status.
-Six Articles in 1539 Restored all sacraments back to the original Catholic doctrine.
-King’s Book in 1543 revised the Bishops Book to be more conservative.
After the radical change of 1536, reforming the 7 sacraments, the years after saw a gradual retrun to catholic doctrine, as the other 4 sacraments were slowly reintroduced and the Kings Book of 1543 revised the Bishops book to be more conservative therefore more catholic, which all in all undermines prosestant reform and portrays Henry as reliegously indecisive, perhaps portarying Henrys aims all along was to use prosestantism simply to gain control of the church before reverting it back to its previous form.
